SIR – Once again employers’ organisations are jumping on the bandwagon by saying that their members would be taking on many current unemployed workers if only they did not have to face draconian employment protection legislation. What a myth.

The problem with many small employers is that they have been frightened off by both their own trade bodies and employers’ bodies and ambitious employment lawyers looking to turn over a quick buck for providing over-complicated basic employment law training.

As someone who has earned a living on both sides of the employment relationship there is no impediment in employment law in taking on new workers because most will be subject to probationary periods where if the employee does not meet the standards required they can be dismissed without troubling the employment courts.

What is unacceptable is that the proposals to be able to dismiss within a two-year period for any reason is being lauded from on high as removing barriers to employment.

Let me give some examples from the employee’s side: 􀁥 A firm in the construction trade switched all its employees from employed status to self-employed shortly before going into liquidation. Why? So they could avoid redundancy payments.

􀁥 A hotel who without notice boarded up the premises leaving their staff out on the street (quite literally in fact).

It took months for those staff to get what they were due both in contract and in law.

􀁥 A young man employed in a call centre on the minimum wage who made a complaint about smoking in the office contrary to health and safety rules. His employer on receiving his complaint told him to get lost if he did not like it.

􀁥 A construction company that went into liquidation with the state paying the employees’ redundancy payments. The boss then set up another company under a different name, re-hired the staff on a third less of their former wages and then sacked them all within the one-year period thus preventing them from gaining their employment law rights.

Employers have nothing to fear from employment legislation if they accept their responsibility for better recruitment and selection procedures and alongside this treat their staff with some respect in relation to their working environment.

My advice to any would-be new worker? Exercise your rights and join a union.

MIKE BRAZIER
UNITE branch secretary; former president of Worcester Trades Union Council